MICHELIN-Starred Restaurants In California Wine Country

This is one of the first restaurants to elevate the Napa Valley to greatness. The kitchen’s work is as impressive as the setting. Everything seems more beautiful from this extraordinary perch, overlooking the vineyards and mountains. The chef's tasting menu invites guests to control how their experience unfolds by choosing dishes. Begin with an elegant soup of sweet white corn soup poured table-side; layered with bay shrimp and a cube of toasted brioche topped with tarragon crème fraîche, it's rich and creamy. 

Thomas Keller’s legendary destination doesn’t miss a beat. Classic French techniques are paired with wildly fresh ingredients in a setting that is a perfect storm of restaurant greatness. Dinner may bring signature oysters with white sturgeon caviar in a warm sabayon studded with tapioca pearls, or Pacific shima aji tartare composed with puffed grains for texture and a vibrant tomato and jalapeño "chiffon" for (immense) flavor.  "Coffee and Donuts", along with a box of handmade chocolates, ends the experience on a sweet note.

Exquisite barely begins to describe a meal at this Healdsburg jewel, where every detail has been considered, from the moss and flowers cradling the amuse-bouche presentation to the packets of heirloom seeds that are sent home as parting gifts. 
The menu is acutely tuned to each micro-season in Sonoma County, thanks to the bounty provided by farmer and co-owner, Katina Connaughton. Spring might bring delicately smoked Ora king salmon topped with arctic char roe and myoga; while winter showcases pumpkin tartare with Dungeness crab and a miso-makrut lime foam. 

Though Kenzo offers a handful of tables, the best seats are at the long counter, where diners can chat with the chefs and watch their meal being prepared firsthand. The kaiseki experience is beautifully composed, elegantly paced, and may feature such exquisite presentations as the seasonal hassun—unveiling poached eggplant in dashi and seared Sonoma duck breast—and straw-smoked Hokkaido scallop sashimi with jidori egg yolk sauce.

This redwood-clad space is the very essence of laid-back luxury; windows frame picture-perfect views and a fireplace augments the ambience. Cooking here is highly original, driven by impeccable technique and devotion to sustainability. The kitchen is devout when it comes to hyper-local and foraged ingredients, sourcing many ingredients from their own organic farm. Compelling creations have included a silky-smooth egg custard, dressed with trout roe and gently cooked leeks. 

Soak up the bucolic splendor of Napa’s northern reaches at the Four Seasons resort, the ideal setting for this au courant embodiment of classic Wine Country fine dining. Thanks to skills honed in some of the Bay Area’s most notable kitchens, Chef Rogelio Garcia displays a distinctly Californian perspective, using precise technique in order to highlight exceptional ingredients—most of which are sourced locally, including from on-site gardens. Whether it’s a 10-day dry-aged shima aji with sliced mountain rose apple slices and a tableside pour of mandarinquat aguachile, or the chef's signature tetela served over foraged black trumpet and maitake mushrooms, each dish is finely tuned and harmonious. Add in warm hospitality, and here is a meal that strikes a golden balance between modern tastes and old-school luxury.

Celebrated Wine Country chef Douglas Keane has returned to the fore with his re-launch of Cyrus in Geyserville. Set among rolling vineyards, the dining rooms are housed in a coolly modern concrete and glass lair that offers a striking contrast to the verdant surroundings—an old-growth plum tree in the courtyard is a nod to their past as the Sunsweet prune packing facility. Dinner is an ebullient experience that progresses from canapes and Champagne in the lounge, to small bites in the kitchen, substantial compositions in the dining room and a sweet finish in the Chocolate room. Farm-fresh crudité to be dipped in umeboshi emulsion; Sonoma duck with turnips and hoisin; and black sesame financier with shaved plums are just a few examples of the impressive, globally accented cuisine.

With a bucolic location off Highway 29, Press enchants with a fireplace and lofty ceilings, and the well-to-do crowd marvels at the decorative ceramic clock sourced from a bygone NY train station. This modern American dining room exudes all the Wine Country vibes, and just so happens to boast the largest collection of Napa wines in the world. Chef Philip Tessier is equally inspired by the location, delivering contemporary, Californian dishes such as Kusshi oysters with whipped horseradish; citrus-cured snapper with yuzu curd; and white truffle risotto that is simply sophisticated. A flawlessly smooth quenelle of chestnut-cognac ice cream sitting over a cloud-like mound of coconut flavored whipped cream is just one of the memorable desserts.